Anatomic Therapy

111. CAN WE USE AIR CONDITIONING DEVICES?

Let us imagine that we live in a country where the temperature is minus 23 degrees Centigrade (-23 degree C). If we measure our body temperature with a thermometer, it will show Plus 37 Degree Centigrade (+37 Degree C) only, that is, plus 98 Degree Fahrenheit. Let us again assume that we are in a country where the temperature is plus 50 Degree C. Even at that place, our body temperature will be maintained at +37 Degree C only.

What we understand from this is that the body of a healthy human being always maintains its temperature at +37 Degree C.

The internal temperature of our body and the temperature at the surface of our body will not be the same. The skin of our body helps our body in maintaining its internal temperature always at +37 Degree C.

Therefore, our skin is also called the Temperature Controlling Organ of our body. When the outside temperature is higher than +37 Degree C, our skin brings itself down to a lower temperature and thus brings down our internal organs to +37 Degree C. When the room temperature is lower than +37 Degree C, our skin heats itself up to a higher temperature and thus brings up the temperature of our internal organs to +37 Degree C.

Many people think that AC unit is an “Air Cooler”. It is not so. AC is actually an “Air Conditioner”. AC unit is used to bring the air in the room from extreme high and low temperatures to acceptable temperatures.

In extremely cold countries where the temperature is -25 Degree C, -10 Degree C or +10 Degree C, etc., AC unit is used as a heater to increase the room temperature. In extremely hot countries such as Saudi Arabia where the temperature is +40 Degree, +50 Degree C, etc., AC unit is used to reduce the room temperature.

Generally we keep the AC unit for a temperature of +17 Degree C or +18 Degree C. This is a wrong practice. This is because +17 Degree C is a hot temperature for those living in cold countries and the same will be a cool temperature for those living in hot countries. Therefore, we should adjust the temperature of the AC unit according to our country, the place we live, the climatic condition, season, etc. So, it is not right to keep the temperature of the AC unit at the same level at all the places and on all days.

So, what is the ideal temperature for the AC unit? When we enter the room, we should feel neither cold nor hot. That is the ideal temperature which the AC unit is supposed to maintain in that room. In other words, the temperature of our skin is the ideal and healthy temperature that is to be maintained by the AC unit.

But, it has become fashionable nowadays to maintain the offices, malls and all the living places at a very low temperature. This results in an unnecessary expenditure of energy in our body to keep the body constantly at the required temperature of +37 Degree C. We also observe that Intensive Care Units (ICU) in hospitals are maintained at a very low temperature. This naturally affects the patients badly. It is to be understood that AC units are kept in ICUs mainly to safeguard the electronic equipments that are used there and not for the patients. We hereby appeal to all the hospitals to save the patients by keeping the temperatures in ICUs at a normal level.

The amount of oxygen in an airconditioned room will be much less compared to the amount of oxygen in fresh air. Therefore, please avoid the use of AC as far as possible. If the use of AC unit in a room is unavoidable, then please keep it at a temperature much close to our body temperature.

Finally, we need to keep in mind that AC unit is a machine that helps us to keep our body temperature at 37 Degree C. If we run the AC unit at a temperature far away from our body temperature, it can cause unnecessary load on our body and thus result in health problems.